ContentLatch
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Getting Started

Installation

Install ContentLatch on WordPress 6.6+ with PHP 8.1+ and ACF 6.0+, activate the plugin, and confirm the Rules screen appears in the admin.

Requirements

ContentLatch V1 requires:

  • WordPress 6.6 or higher
  • PHP 8.1 or higher
  • Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) 6.0 or higher (Free or Pro)

ACF is a hard runtime dependency. ContentLatch checks for ACF 6.0+ when it loads and will not treat field integrations as available until Free or Pro is active. The plugin does not use WordPress Requires Plugins so sites that only have ACF Pro can still activate ContentLatch.

When you need ACF Pro

  • ACF Free covers supported scalar fields and Group.
  • ACF Pro is required for Repeater, Flexible Content, and Clone.

WordPress Core fields (Title, Content, Excerpt, Slug, Featured Image, Author) are available once ContentLatch is running—but ACF must still be installed and active for the plugin to operate.

Installation

ContentLatch is not listed on WordPress.org yet, and this site does not host a plugin ZIP. Install from a release package or plugin folder you already have. Questions about access? Contact us.

  1. Install and activate Advanced Custom Fields 6.0 or higher (Free or Pro, as needed for your field types).
  2. Install ContentLatch by uploading the plugin ZIP through Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, or by placing the contentlatch folder in /wp-content/plugins/contentlatch.
  3. Activate ContentLatch on the Plugins screen.

If PHP or WordPress are below the minimum versions, activation fails with an explanatory message. If ACF is missing or too old, ContentLatch shows an admin notice and does not boot field integrations until the requirement is met.

Activation

On activation, ContentLatch:

  • Grants the manage_contentlatch capability to the Administrator role
  • Registers its rule post type
  • Installs the audit database schema

Administrators can manage rules and run audits. Editors are validated when they save content they can edit.

First check

  1. Sign in as an administrator.
  2. Confirm ContentLatch appears in the WordPress admin menu (dashicon: yes-alt).
  3. Open ContentLatch → Rules (the top-level ContentLatch screen).
  4. Confirm you can open Add New Rule and see the Rule Builder (Rule details, WHEN, THEN, and severity).

If the menu is missing, confirm you are an administrator, the plugin is activated, and ACF 6.0+ is active.